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We March On…

Feb 13, 2019 | Battered Women's Support Services

I believe my first February 14th Women’s Memorial March was in 1997 in Downtown Eastside Vancouver. I was the support worker at PACE Society at the time and I was asked to say a few words. This was a great honour.

During the March we would customarily stop at the steps of the old Vancouver Police Station to listen and to share inspirational speeches and calls to action from women’s organizations. I remember how the community — a diverse grouping of Elders, family members, residents and community workers — claimed the Hastings and Main intersection. Medicines of sage and sweet grass enveloped us as we lifted each other to the spirit. Some years, we would look to the sky and see the eagles circling. For all of us, this was confirmation that we were joined on a righteous path. As we marched, onlookers joined us, people waved from buildings, and the women’s warrior song came sweetly out of our throats. We marched on, strong.

Read full blog by Raven here.

Why I March

Feb 12, 2019 | Battered Women's Support Services

I march because:

It is time for us to unite… for the sheer purpose that Indigenous Women and girls are not disposable, for the urgent matter that the lives of Indigenous Women and Girls matter!

I march because:

It is the time that Indigenous Women and Girls are SEEN are HEARD and are demanding JUSTICE for every single Indigenous Woman and Girl.

I march because:

Of the immediacy, the urgency, of the utter lack of response, to the grossly under publicized epidemic; of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The impunity must end now before another sister is taken.

February 14th otherwise known as Valentine’s Day to me is an oppressive social construction aimed at women to imply they are inadequate and incomplete. That there adequacy is measured by being “chosen” by someone of the dominant sex along with the economics spent on showing this “chosen” love. Not to mention that the very concept of Valentine’s Day is based on a male driven capitalistic need to make money on the commodification of love and self-worth.

For me February 14th  or Valentine’s Day for the last 18 years as been a day that I take to the streets, I disrupt traffic, I claim space, I march to deal with my sense of hopelessness and anger towards the inadequate response to missing and murdered women and girls. February 14th is a day I get to express my respect, my compassion, my caring, and my love for Indigenous Women and Girls who are missing or who have been murdered.

This February 14th will be the 28th year that Indigenous Women and women leaders who to me are warriors from the downtown east side; take to the street to march in honor of the lives of women and girls who have experienced gender based violence. They will march in honor of the Indigenous Women and Girls who are missing or who have been murdered. They will march in honor of their families and our communities. They will march to raise awareness for the increasing deaths and disappearances of women and girls from the DTES, even if it is for only one day.

I march because: there must be an end to the appalling systemic levels of gender based violence, poverty, racism, oppression, patriarchy, misogyny, and colonization that impact the vulnerability of all the lives of every women and girl, across our beautiful Turtle Island.

I march because:

I stand in the honor of every one of our beautiful women warriors that have lost their life as a result of violence.

I will not be silenced anymore, I march to break the silence, I march to find my voice, I march in resistance, I march for the return of our rightful matriarchal ways and positions of power. I march for the lives of every one of my sisters out on the front lines.  I march for the safety of every women and girl.

I march in defensive of the worthiness of the lives of Indigenous women and girls. I stand in demonstration against the complacency of the state, the government, and of Canada; in their ongoing genocide of Indigenous women and girls across Turtle Island. I march in opposition of the impunity granted to those who are responsible for taking the lives of Indigenous Women and Girls.

The Womens Memorial March is an opportunity to stand together in solidarity as Indigenous Women and to stand in solidarity with indigenous Women.

We march as a call to action.

We march as a call for justice

We march in a call for solidarity.

Finally I march because my freedom is intertwined in your freedom, I march because no women regardless of race or class is able to live there life free from the threat of violence, until every Indigenous women and girls is free to live their life without the threat of violence.

All my relations,

Summer-Rain, Manager of Indigenous Women’s Program at BWSS

 

Save the Date – International Women’s Day 2019

Feb 11, 2019 | Battered Women's Support Services

Championing Choice & Safety: A Womxn’s World in Three Parts

 

Battered Women Support Services and Options for Sexual Health are pleased to partner in the Canadian premiere of three short films by writer/director/actor Camille Hollet-French.

The films explore issues of abortion, sexual violence and incarceration through the eyes of three young women in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.

Following each screening, a dialogue panel with experts and folks with lived experienced to address the subject matter of each film and there relationship to choice and safety -moderated by journalist Charmaine De Silva.

The evening will be held at the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema at the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts in Vancouver.

Tickets will be sliding scale $5 – $15, available to purchase at My Sisters Closet and online through Eventbrite starting Friday February 15th.

 

Memorial March for All the Missing and Murdered Women of Edmonton

Feb 11, 2019 | Battered Women's Support Services

Memorial March for All the Missing and Murdered Women of Edmonton

Danielle Boudreau marches on February 14 in the Memorial March for All the Missing and Murdered Women of Edmonton and she tells Rabble why.

It all started for me back in 2004, when Rachel Quinney was found murdered in a field Northeast of Sherwood Park, Alberta. She was 19 years old and her body had been mutilated. The headlines in the paper at the time used so many demeaning words as if to justify the death of a young woman whose life had taken a wrong turn. A year later on May 6, 2005 another friend of mine was found in a field, also murdered and once again demeaned in the media.

I couldn’t sit back and do nothing, I felt I needed to tell the country who these women really were.

I became a part of the Project KARE website and started chatting on the forum. When the forum was shut down, a few of us girls started another site to memorialize the women who were found dead. We wanted to them to be treated like human beings as they deserved, rather than defined only by their death and addictions or unfortunate involvement in sex trade work.

Read the full article here.

Black Women’s Program at BWSS

Feb 7, 2019 | Battered Women's Support Services

When I was approached and asked if I wanted to create and coordinate a Black Women’s Program for BWSS, my initial feelings were a mixture of overwhelmed and excitement; however, my initial thoughts were of caution and insecurity. I knew I could do the work and put the program into practice, but I doubted that as a Black American woman I could connect to the priorities and perspectives of Black women living and raised in Canada. It was through conversations and encouragement from my ED that I realized the sad and wonderful truth; the universality of the Black Experience. It was clear to me that Black Women in Canada, including Vancouver, had the same abuses, marginalization’s, and invisibility as Black women in the US. And, the need was even greater because these issues went largely downplayed. Black Women in the lower mainland had a deep need for a space dedicated to Black Women and cultivated by Black Women; a place they could always go and see themselves represented.

In February 2017 the Black Women’s Program began with a Support Group named Standing on Points of Power: A group for Black Women. Standing on Points of Power, was a weekly group that met and discussed topics such as Identity, Pride, Strength and Vulnerability to name a few. We worked hard to establish a safe space for self-identified Black Women to come together and be perfectly imperfect, powerfully vulnerable, and share the precious wonderful gifts that are our life experiences. We were figuring things out as we went along, but the response from the women was very strong and powerful right from the start. When asked why they attend the group women stated,

“To occupy a safe space and share my experiences and relate to other Black Women” and “I wanted to connect with and learn more about what other Black Women in the lower mainland are feeling. My expectations were exceeded!”

Standing on Points of Power took a hiatus in 2017 and we hope to have it running again by the end of 2019. Expanding our reach and focus in 2018 the Black Women’s Program began hosting dedicated seasonal workshop experiences. In July 2018 Feeling While Black was a 4-week workshop experience that focused on the high emotional and mental cost of the Black Experience, and women were given tools to lessen that impact and embrace their lives and goals with two hands! In September 2018 we hosted I’m a Black Girl, and My Magic is for ME! this workshop also ran for 4 weeks, and women spent time understanding that the qualities and traits that are often under attack by the outside world, are precisely the “Magic” we own outright and it makes us unique and powerful. Women learned how to defend and harness their Magic for their own purposes.

The feedback we received from the women was incredible!

“This group is awesome!! I wish it was long-term having this sort of community is amazing. Thanks Theresa!!”

“I feel at peace, I am really happy I found this group and got to attend. So much truth and freedom and safety in this space.”

“I’ve got so much to write in my journal when I get home! I feel significantly less tension in my body. Grateful for this.”

“I enjoy coming to these groups. They definitely brighten my day. It’s like armour before you head out into the world”

“If you want to reconnect with your magic this is the place to be”

In 2019 the Black Women’s Program will continue with seasonal workshops and seek to restart Standing on Points of Power, as demand dictates. The seasonal workshops will kick off in March with Chocolate High: A Journey into Self, a Pathway to Self-Love. This workshop experience will allow women to journey into their lived experiences and identify barriers to loving and valuing themselves. Women will receive tools to root-out those barriers and replace them with the truth of their worth and value. This workshop is a love story of self. It will run Wednesday evenings from 6-8pm every Wednesday in March. Registration is free and interested participants can call 604-687-1867 the BWSS crisis line and express their interest.

This has been a wonderous journey, connecting with Black Women and seeing what we create together when safety is factor and when visibility is not a liability has, thus far, been one of my life’s outstanding joys!

Theresa Thomas was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Since moving to Vancouver in 2012, Theresa has committed herself to being an a passionate advocate and support for people seeking freedom from abuse and societal oppression. Theresa is a Stopping The Violence Counsellor at Battered Women’s Support Services, and coordinates the Black Women’s Program at BWSS.

Why I March? Women’s Memorial March -Winnipeg, Manitoba

Feb 7, 2019 | Battered Women's Support Services

I have many memories of long summers and winter holidays in my Mothers home community of Cross Lake Manitoba.  It was the centre of my world before Hydro development forever changed the landscape and the people. My memories hold some of my greatest moments of joy and lifelong friendships.  I always hold a connection to my family and the land  and I am very protective of these memories of Cross Lake.  Lorna Lynn Blacksmith and her family are from Cross Lake.  It just rattled my being to know that such a young woman from my home had disappeared from the streets of Winnipeg.

The media portrayed her as a sex trade worker – just another Aboriginal woman who was responsible for her own misfortune.  Her community remembered her as a dedicated army cadet, a strong and carefree young woman with dreams. With her family and community and many facebook friends, her picture was posted and reposted on facebook. We heard rumours that she was in Alberta.  Community members went to Alberta to look for her.  The Chief, Garrison Settee actively participated in efforts to find her and financially supported her family with the additional costs through this time.  A facebook group was created, “Find Lorna Blacksmith” and each night, Cathy Merrick who is now Chief of Cross Lake would post a message of hope and conversation with Lorna.  It was such a moving experience and an incredible example of how a community supports its members in stressful times.  It was important to keep public interest in finding Lorna Blacksmith, so I wanted to help the family and the community in doing this work.

The Chief and Council and Women’s Committee of Pimichikamak (Cross Lake) supported community members to travel to Winnipeg to participate in the Womens Memorial March.  At this march, we also handed out posters to bystanders to continue the public involvement in Lorna’s disappearance.  It was very heart-wrenching to introduce the Blacksmith family to the Catcheway family.  They belong to a group of parents that in growing to rapidly and few understand the constant pain of loss that is always in their memory.  I met many other family members from various communities, many unresolved cases, many broken hearts that can not even begin to heal.  I was humbled by their strength and resilience and most of all, by their faith.  I saw how the support of the community was integral to their own strength.  If all we can do to support the families of missing and murdered loved ones, is to walk a couple of city blocks, and it helps them.  If this is what it takes to let them know they are loved and supported, then I can do this.  I have no capability to investigate or have special powers, though I wish I had in this circumstance to bring their daughters and sisters home, but I can walk.  I can use social media to continue to raise awareness of the issue of missing and murdered loved ones.

Mother Theresa is oft quoted by “doing small things with great love” and for the great love I have for my community and the memories it holds, this is the small thing that I can do.  If we can all do a small thing, it can turn into something great.  So we March on with great love for our missing and murdered sisters and their families in the hope of change.

Helen Betty Osborn

Sandra DeLaronde, M.A., as been Executive Director of the Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation since its inception in 2001.  She is currently working on the development of  a Women’s Indigenous Leadership and Research Institute (WILRI) that focuses on our rising as women. 

She is an Indigenous Woman raised Metis with legal registration to Pimichikimak Cree Nation and darn proud of it!